I’m brand new here- I hope nobody will mind my digging up an old thread.<br><br>The urban/suburban survival topic is near and dear to my heart. I’m a lifelong backpacker and camper who's taking up sailing again after 25 years, and those are the subjects that brought me here, but… a couple of years ago, when commuting on the Metro (subway) to downtown D.C. a block or so from the White House (talk about ground zero), I very nearly got stranded in the city in the aftermath of an ice storm- getting home was an interesting adventure, that could easily have been much, much worse. I had a little gear, more than most city folks for sure, in a soft attache/shoulder pouch (along with papers and books), and some of it did come in handy. Since then I’ve spent a lot of time and thought on what I should have had with me and didn’t.<br><br>I was also in Connecticut (affected) during the 1965 NY blackout, my parents went through the famous CT “Ice Storm” without power for a week, I was in MD through hurricane Agnes, in San Francisco during the Oakland fire and again during the SF version of the Rodney King riot, which literally passed around me. Not surprisingly, I was more prepared than most for Y2K, and I don’t really regret it, though I’m still digesting that lesson.<br><br>Respectfully, there seem to me to be very different requirements for an urban/suburban survival kit than for rural/marine versions, but that DOESN’T mean that weapons are it. The list I’ve come up with is far less combat oriented than what I’ve seen here- in D.C., for instance, you have very few legal options in that direction, and I was going through metal detectors twice a day. D.C. also has a history of unsafe city water without any emergency, and recently, 400-lb manhole covers blowing 20ft into the air without warning. I’m not currently working there, but it may happen again.<br><br> It also makes a HUGE difference whether you expect to be within easy walking distance of your vehicle. I’d be glad to share what I’ve come up with so far if there’s any interest, and more than glad to hear any suggestions.<br><br><br>